Wards to move as maintenance work takes place at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

To ensure the ward block at the hospital meets the latest building regulations, remedial work needs to take place and, to enable that to happen, health bosses say some patients will need to be moved.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the hospital, says ward 21 – its escalation ward – is now closed.

Patients from ward 22 will be discharged over the next two weeks and those that have ongoing care needs will be transferred to ward 21.

From the beginning of May, further ward moves will take place, beginning with ward 27 which will move into the vacant ward 22.

Ward 22 has been chosen for relocation because, as the hospital's only 40-bedded ward, it is able to accommodate patients from all other wards.

Sara Biffen, deputy chief operating officer at SaTH, said: “From time-to- time, we need to carry out important work to ensure our buildings meet the very latest building requirements. Unfortunately, the nature of the work that is needed for this can be disruptive.

“We always endeavour to keep that disruption to a minimum, so we will be carrying out the work at RSH in a phased manner in order that we inconvenience our patients, visitors and staff as little as possible.

“We will be working with our colleagues in community health to ensure patients that do not need the specialist acute care that we provide, can be discharged to the most appropriate place for their ongoing care as soon as possible.

"That will ensure that we have enough beds for the patients who need them.

“All patients and visitors will be notified of the changes before they take place and I would also like to thank the staff on the wards and our estates and facilities teams for their hard work in helping to make this happen.

“Following this we will, at the beginning of May, be moving patients from ward 27 to ward 22.

"To keep this disruption to a minimum, the ward will be relocated for a period of 16 weeks while work takes place.”